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I’ve gotten several emails of late asking me to detail what is in my herb/spice cabinet and how much of each item I order to make sure I have enough on hand to make my various recipes. While it’s always preferable to grow and dry your own herbs, purchasing them from a reputable source can often be easier.
I’ve broken my list in to two sections: Culinary Uses and Health/Body Recipes since I use herbs for both of these. I order most of my herbs in bulk online and order enough to last for all my DIY projects for a few months since shipping can be expensive.
Culinary Herbs
I order all of the herbs and spices I use in cooking in bulk since this saves money and since we use a lot of them by cooking 2-3 times a day. I’ve found that ordering herbs and spices in bulk allows us to use organic ones at a fraction of the cost of conventional store bought spices. Many conventional spices also contain anti-caking agents, MSG or other ingredients that we avoid, so making our own is a simple and cost effective solution.
Here is a list of my 14 most used herb and spice blends, but often, I just season food to taste from what I have in the cabinet. My usual herb/spice order of culinary herbs includes (unless I’ve been able to grow enough from the garden instead):
- 1 pound basil leaf
- 1 pound oregano leaf
- 1 pound parsley
- 1 pound garlic powder
- 1 pound minced garlic
- 1 pound onion powder (or homemade)
- 1-2 pounds minced onion (or homemade)
- 1 pound turmeric root
- 1 pound cinnamon powder
- 1 pound cumin seed powder
- 1 pound paprika
- 1 pound Rosemary
- 1 pound Thyme
- 2-3 pounds Himalayan Salt or Real Salt
- 1 pound dill leaf
- 1 pound chili powder
Health/Beauty Herbs
We also use herbs in tinctures, salves, skin and beauty recipes including:
- Chamomile Tincture for Kids
- Sleepy time Tincture
- Digestive Tincture
- Multivitamin Tincture
- Healing Salve
- Vapo Rub
- Black Drawing Salve
- Herbal Mouth Wash
- Herbal Cough Syrup
- Herbal Hair Color Recipes
- Elderberry Syrup
For these recipes, my shopping list usually includes:
- 1 pound chamomile flowers
- 1 pound calendula flowers
- 1 pound nettle leaf
- 1 pound alfalfa leaf
- 1 pound peppermint leaf
- 1 pound plantain leaf (or from backyard)
- 1 pound yarrow flowers
- 1 pound catnip leaf
- 1-2 pounds dried elderberries
And non-herb ingredients:
- 1-2 lbs shea butter
- 1-2 lbs cocoa butter
- 1 pound mango butter
- 1 pound beeswax
- coconut oil (a lot-because we use it for everything)
- liquid carrier oil like almond or apricot seed
- arrowroot powder
- essential oils
- liquid castile soap
- castor oil (for oil cleansing)
Do you make your own spices? What is in your herb and spice cabinet? Share below!
What do you use to powder herbs with?
Coffee grinder 🙂
Do you store these herbs in the packages they came in or do you need a jar that doesn’t let in light?
Yes, or in mason jars in a cool, dark cabinet.
Thank you!!
Also, are there any adaptogens that are safe for breastfeeding mom’s to take?
Hi! Thanks for all these fabulous tips, recipes, advice, etc. I am loving your site! I have a question about the essential oils you are using – Edens Garden. I am just getting into all the natural products and I have noticed that everyone uses doTerra, Young Living or Rocky Mountain. Edens Garden is certainly way way cheaper than those 3. Have you done research on them? Are they just as good? Thanks!
Hi Jen, I’ve tried almost all the different oils out there, and while they all have their benefits, I’m personally not a fan of Young Living or doTerra because of the their MLM business model and the confusing language they use to market them. My personal favorites are Eden’s Garden, Plant Therapy, and Mountain Rose Herbs.
Thank you for this (and for everything else you share–GREAT stuff!) Question: Any tricks you’ve learned for keeping moths out of your stuff (without using stinky mothballs)? I like to transfer herbs and grains into sealed glass jars after buying but the moths somehow get in there, too!
I haven’t personally had this issue, but it’s something I may look into down the road…
I am thinking of ordering spices for the first time. Do you use peppercorn? I did not see it on your list. Thank you for your information. I really like your blog.
Just curious, how do the spices come packaged? Easy reseal bag by any chance? What do you suggest is the best way to store these for limited space and easy access? Thanks
What type of alcohol do you use to make your tintures? Alot of the alcohols are made with GMO corn, and some are made with wheat. What type or brand would you recommend? Thanks!
Sarah, just wanted to let you know I just started making tinctures with organic herbs, and I use Absolut (unflavored, plain) vodka for tinctures because it is made in Sweden – no GMO’s allowed there! 🙂 Just thought I’d share, because I went on a search for alcohol not made from GMO grain.
I’m just starting out making natural beauty products. It started because I wanted to make my own bath fizzies (the Lush ones are so expensive!). I now want to make my own dry shampoo and deodorant. How much Arrow root powder do you usually buy? Is the 1 lb bag enough for these projects (I would like to have enough for 6 months if possible)? Also, I don’t have a ton of money, so can you recommend a few of the less expensive essential oils/blends which would work for these projects. I see that the essential oils range from $5 to $40 for 1/2 oz. I would like to stay closer to the $5 range…
Thanks a bunch!
Alexis
It would be helpful and beneficial if Mountain Rose Herbs would put together a Wellness Mama Package; like the culinary package, the healing package, etc. I have been on their site several times and just ordered for the first time last night, and it was almost all items that you had recommended. It is kind of overwhelming when you are just starting to make the change over from commercial products. If they could offer packages at a small discount it seems to me that it would be a win/win/win for you, us, and them. Whaddya think?
I have been using your recipes for quite a bit now and I am finding myself purchasing more herbs. Can you let me know what’s the best way to store herbs (dried and powder)? Also how long should I keep them, or how long will they be good for?
I store in glass jars in a cool, dark cabinet. Most last at least a year this way, some much longer. They can also be frozen.
I just love you DIY tips!
I use a lot of essential oli in my work as a massage therapeut.
But I use them alot for health “stuff” as well.
* For skrub i usualy mix salt and peppermint for my feet, suger and lemon and/or lavender for my body and face.
* I take a couple of drops of lavender in our bathtub for relaxation
* For a cold remedy i pretty much use peppermint in everything.
* I’ve got a special mixture calles “thieves” that’s great for cleaning and infekted gums 🙂
* Lemon in lipbalm and for dryskin.
I get my oils from young living, they’ve got good stuff and plenty of uses for them all.
Can’t wait to try your mosqito repellent though!
Wow, your site is awesome!! I need to pry myself away…so many things I want to try making. I have been looking for a place I can buy all my herbs and spices from at a discount and in bulk and this online store looks great but I am from canada. Do u think it would be worth it for me to get it shipped over to canada or should I keep looking for a canadian based site?? Does anyone know of any good canadian based sites to buy bulk herbs??
I am from Canada as well and have been searching myself. The order I’d like to place has almost 80$ in shipping from Mountain Rose. I had 23 items in my cart, which makes each item roughly $3.40 more. Let me know if anyone has suggestions as well!
Well I haven’t found an option in Canada but what I have found is KinekPoint. It is a facility designed for cross border shoppers, that gives you a US address to have your items shipped to and you just have to drive over the border (most are within 5 mins) and it will save you on duties and brokerage fees. I haven’t used it myself but by the looks of it you can send almost anything for size and weight and pay only 5$ if you pick up in 30 days. FREE to sign up as well! https://www.kinek.com/ out the website and hopefully you’re close to a border. Good Luck
I’m curious as to how you store herbs in these quantities to maintain freshness?
What is the best way to store cocoa butter? And is a glass container better than plastic?
Cool dry place. Plastic is ok, but I always prefer to use glass when possible.
I love dried dill weed. In summer, I have gobs of it in the gardens. I like it in homemade ranch dressing or mixed with sour cream over fresh cukes. Local honey is also a staple pantry item (although not an herb) that we buy a whole lot of.
Comfrey has a permanent spot in our home apothecary as well. Great addition to first aid salves!
I make about a gallon of peppermint tea once a day – my whole family guzzles it warm in the winter and iced in the summer. So I go through a lot of dried peppermint. I also just tried making my own tick repellent spray using essential oils (clove, citronella, lemongrass, eucalyptus) and water and hand sanitizer (tea tree, lavender, lemon, aloe vera gel).
It’s a lot of fun to make this stuff and I like to stay away from all the harmful junk in the store-bought alternatives.
such perfect timing! i’ve been bargain-hunting the entire week to stock up on my “hippie supplies”…